For someone facing a life altering or even life ending trauma or disease, every opportunity afforded them for healing or life extending treatment is a blessing. Sometimes these treatments cost thousands or even millions of dollars. And some of these treatments, as is the case of oxygen therapy, can be very uncomfortable to administer, even painful. The equipment used to administer oxygen can cause sores on the face, rub the skin raw, and dry out the lips, nose, and mouth to the point of cracking and bleeding. This equipment frequently causes panic attacks due to the lack of reserve oxygen capacity with just mild exertion; or it can make an already severe panic attack worse. The design of the mask has remained virtually unchanged since its creation; a single rubber band strap to secure a molded silicone “one size fits all” face piece into place. This leaves very little room for adjustment and makes for a highly inefficient delivery system. Add to these limitations the fact that oxygen tanks are bulky, heavy and limited in their capacity, or restrictive to the mobility of the user.
Most people today live with an oxygen level in the upper 90s as a percentage of oxygen saturation of the blood. Oxygen levels lower than approximately 92% mean that the red blood cells are starving for oxygen. For nearly all patients utilizing an oxygen mask, a dip in O2 saturation below this level will trigger a panic attack. Most of these patients are then required to take prescription anti-panic medication to minimize the effects of these attacks. This, in turn, can alter the mental state of the patient and further decrease quality of life. Frequent decreases in O2 saturation can have devastating effects on the body. Even a minor decrease in oxygen saturation to the brain can start the initial stages of Cerebral Hypoxia—literally ‘brain death’—where brain cells immediately begin to die off. The effects of cerebral hypoxia are severe and can happen rapidly upon loss of oxygen. Some of those effects in mild cases are poor judgment, inattentiveness, lack of coordination, and memory loss. In severe cases the effects may include permanent brain damage, coma, lung infections, pneumonia, blood clots, seizures, and death.
In some cases, a patient may use cannulas which provide oxygenated air to the patient's nostrils. Cannulas utilize narrow tubing under the patient's nose with holes placed under each nostril. In some devices, the holes are within a protrusion or extension directed generally toward the nostrils. Both versions of cannulas provide the oxygenated air at a velocity that is fast enough to limit dissipation of the oxygenated air into the ambient. The lower the velocity of air used, the more air that may dissipate into the ambient instead of into the patient's pulmonary system. However, the increased velocity of air may cause discomfort to the patient by drying out their nostrils, among other irritations. In addition, placement of such cannulas may require significant amounts of adhesive materials and/or periodic repositioning, irritating the patient. Any discomfort or irritation in wearing the cannula or caused by the airflow of the cannula may cause a patient to forgo beneficial use of the oxygenated airflow.